We've just spent three days exhibiting our student's work at D&AD's 'New Blood' graduate showcase.
'New Blood' takes place every July and for the last three years has been sited within Spitalfields Market in the East End of London, the epicentre of the capital's design industry.
It's attended by a wide range of interested people but principally is an opportunity for students to sell themselves to prospective employers.
It was a hectic three days and has been chronologically documented for your edification and amusement in the following images and accompanying commentary...
Tuesday 1 July, 1.55PM: the stand has been successfully erected and we're about to be 'kicked out' so that the official judging can take place. Grillust operatives Rhiannon Robinson and David Robert (both 33) proudly pose for the camera.
Tuesday 1 July, 6.45PM: The private view – things are hotting up.
Tuesday 1 July, 7.10PM: Industry professionals queue to get into the exhibition.
Tuesday 1 July, 7.15PM: These lovely students from Edge Hill University had fundraised for months to pay for their 'New Blood' stand only for D&AD to inform them at the last minute that the event was oversubscribed and they hadn't actually got one!
Not to be defeated, this enterprising group decided to promote themselves by becoming 'living' exhibition stands and making direct approaches to the industry professionals queueing up outside. It seemed to be working for them and we would like to applaud their entrepreneurial and pro-active approach.
Tuesday 1 July, 7.47PM: Even busier. Here Luci Ormrod (centre, blonde) engages in some self-promotion.
Lots of our ex-students – who now work in the design industry – dropped by over the three days. Pictured above (far right) is Craig Parkinson who works at Unit 9
Tuesday 1 July, 8.06PM: And here's Rick Banks (the first) with his 'better half' Bella.
Tuesday 1 July, 8.30PM: Luci Ormrod at it again. This time with another of our 'exes', Adam Kirby of Forever Beta.
Tuesday 1 July, 8.43PM: 'Lofty' student Jasper Van Looveren-Baines had a spectacularly good three days. Here he is charming (and being charmed) by two equally 'lofty' designers from M&C Saatchi.
Note: only their feet have been shown as their collective beauty and 'coolness' would have produced too many pixels for our digital camera to handle...
Tuesday 1 July, 8.50PM: Another familiar face from our past, Mr Barry Smith of dn&co.
Wednesday 2 July, 10.23AM: She's still got it! Typographer Royal and all-round 'hunk magnet' Rhiannon Robinson pulls.
Wednesday 2 July, 10.40AM: We told you he was lofty. Japer VLB ('VLB' saves my typing finger) continues to work the crowd.
Wednesday 2 July, 7.10PM: How was it for you? Jasper VLB at the end of a very successful day.
You always get out of New Blood what you are prepared to put in. Those students who actively promote themselves to interested parties are always the most successful. Most of our students did just that, resulting in many contacts and invitations to visit studios with their portfolios. We'll keep you posted with the results.
Thursday 3 July, 10.47AM: An exhibition panorama with four Lee Lunds!
Thursday 3 July, 11.12AM: The sad truth behind social networking. All those Tweets and blog post about what a great time everyone was having were created by this hard-working, one-woman, 'Team' New Blood.
Thursday 3 July, 11.20AM: Here's some of Team Grillust.
L to R: Adam 'Ady' Norfolk, Emma 'Emma' Liles, Ami 'Swifty' Swift, Ruth 'Foggy' Fogden, Luci 'Keith Moon' Ormrod and Lee 'what's for tea?' Lund.
Thursday 3 July, 11.56AM: Mr David Lawton and Mr Jonathan Henton, both ex-graduates and both now successful freelance designers. More importantly, these are the geniuses behind the spoof 'Fife Design' website and associated digital empire.
Thursday 3 July, 7.30PM: Another hectic evening well attended by industry professionals. Here's bestest pals ever, 'Jaspy' and 'Ady' expressing their enduring, platonic, 'man love'.
Thursday 3 July, 7.35PM: 'Jaspy' spots another industry professional and 'goes for it' one last time...
Thursday 3 July, 8.03PM: We 'roll lite'.
The exhibition officially ended at 8.00PM. Here's our stand three minutes later!
Friday 4 July, 12.04PM: The morning after the night before. Stands gone, signage binned,
Spitalfields Market returns to its normal state – until next year...
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